Penn State baseball opened the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona with a split, moving to 1-1 after two hard-fought games. The Nittany Lions started against Air Force, then faced Grand Canyon University, with the latter contest showcasing a cohesive blend of pitching and offense that felt like a turning point for the squad.
Game 1
The early innings were quiet as PSU starter Colin Fitzgerald allowed just one hit through the first three frames. The offense struggled and went down in order in the first two innings, while Nate Voss stranded at third after Jayden Davis didn’t bring him home in the bottom of the third.
Air Force struck first in the top of the fourth: Brooks Burdine drew a walk, swiped second, and came home on Kayden Bradshaw’s single to make it 1-0. The Falcons tacked on two more runs thanks to Penn State throwing errors, pushing the score to 3-0 after the fourth.
The fifth and sixth innings favored Air Force as they added three and two runs, respectively, while PSU couldn’t capitalize on a Kevin Karsetter single in the fifth and a Bryce Molinaro walk in the sixth. No PSU runs until the seventh.
In the seventh, Air Force plated three more on two Penn State errors, extending the lead to 11-0. PSU finally answered in the bottom half: Karsetter walked, Voss reached on a hit-by-pitch, Turkovsky singled to drive in Karsetter, Mercado grounded into a fielder’s choice scoring Voss, and Davis followed with an RBI single to trim the deficit to 11-3.
Air Force added four more in the eighth, and with PSU going down in order in the bottom half, the mercy rule ended the game with Air Force earning its first Desert Invitational win, 15-3.
Game 2
The second game opened with a pitching duel: Grand Canyon’s Nicholas Robb allowed only one PSU hit in the first inning, while PSU’s Ben Hudson faced the Lopes in a clean top of the order. In the second, PSU failed to take advantage with runners on first and second and left them stranded as GCU countered with a spark of its own: Cannon Peery singled, and Max Charles cleared the bases with a triple to put the Lopes on the board.
Both sides quieted in the third, and PSU finally broke through in the fourth when Spencer Barnett drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and touched home on Turcovski’s single to tie the game at 1-1.
The fifth inning proved decisive for PSU. Elijah Higginbottom replaced Robb on the mound and did not disappoint: Davis singled, Molinario followed with a base hit, moving Davis to third. Jack Porter singled to score Davis, Barnett tripled to bring in two more, Avery Smith walked, and Turcovski capped the inning with a two-run triple to give PSU a commanding 7-1 lead. Hudson finished the fifth with his sixth strikeout, capping a strong debut for PSU on the mound.
The sixth and seventh saw quiet work from PSU, but Grand Canyon got one back on a sacrifice fly after an error in the bottom of the seventh. PSU answered in the eighth with a rally: Davis and Molinaro singled, Porter delivered a two-RBI double, and Karsetter’s RBI single pushed the margin to 9-2.
GCU added a final run in the bottom of the ninth after back-to-back walks and a single, but PSU still walked away with its first win of the season, 9-3.
Takeaways
- The pitching staff showed signs of rust in the opener, giving up 15 runs, but rebounded by limiting GCU to just two in the follow-up.
- Ben Hudson delivered a solid PSU debut, fanning six across five innings while allowing one run.
- PSU’s offense leaned into opportunities in the second game, turning more chances into runs and finishing with a solid win margin.
- Starting pitching looked sharp in both games, but the bullpen will need further refinement as the season progresses.
What’s Next?
Penn State wraps up the Desert Invitational on Sunday, February 15, with a matchup against Kansas State. The game will be streamed live on MLB.com.
Kennedy Jones
Onward State contributor
